Green sweeper



June 19, 1928. 1,674,306

A. SHAW GREEN SWEEPER Filed Feb. 15, 1927 Fatented June 19, 1928.

QUINCY A. .suawor :Bosroii, MASSACHUSETTS.

GREEN SWEEPER.

Application filedi February 15 1927. Serial No, 168,378.

The present invention relates to a groundtreating device, more particularly a sweeper for reconditioning the grassy surface of golf greens or the like. Heretofore it 5 has been common to sweep golf greens by the use of brushbrooms of various types and bamboo poles; this requiring considerable labor in order to cover a reasonable ground area.

m brushes was attempted for this purpose, the

result was generally unsatisfactory since iiregularities, which occur in the surface of the ground, resulted in too harsh treatment of the protuberant portions of the ground and the passing over of the hollows or reentrant portions thereof. Thus grass upon the min iature hillocks tended to be wornaway by frequent bearing of the brush thereon while grass in the intermediate hollows would remain untouched by the wide brush. Irregular treatment of the surface in this manner would result in-a green wherein the uncertainties of putting were augmented and in which the appearance of the greensward was 2 unsatisfactory. The present invention is intended to obp .viate these difficulties by providing a series or gang of ground-treating elements, preferably brushes, which are secured to common means for drawing them over the ground by articulated connecting elements arranged in a manner which somewhat resembles the combination of doubletrees and singletrees which is well known in horse-drawn vehicles. These individual brushes or sweeping elements are swiveled or pivoted in relation to 'each other to conform to small irregularities in the ground surface, while means are arranged for the pivoting of a plurality of sweepers in relation to each other to compensate for larger irregularities, these two means, which permit pivoting in the manner indicated, being adapted to permit multifarious relative movements between the 4 sweeping elements in order to permit them to follow the contour of the ground no matter what the irregularities thereof may be.

The above and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the subjoined description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in Wl'llGl12 I Fig. 1 is a side View of the device in its operative position;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same;

l/Vhenever use, of comparatively wide Fig.3 is a plan view of the device; and

Fig. lis a sect-ionon line 4 4;of Fig. 3.

A green sweeper of the type disclosedin the accon'ipanying drawings vmay conveniently comprise a main cross bar lwhich, as 60 shown, is rigidly connected to a stub tongue 2 in order to provide a framework of substantially T-shaped configuration. At either end of the'cross bar 1 are pivoted the inter- 'Inediateiportions of the support bars 3, to

the ends of which in turn are pivoted the intermediate portions of the individual brush or sweeping elements 4. Any suitable flexible; means such as the chains 5, F i'g.,2,'

are adapted loosely to tie the ends of the brush elements to each other in order to limit the relative movement between the. same. The preferred manner of securing and pivoting the support bars to the cross bar and the sweeping elements to the support bar is shown in Fig. 4, from which it is apparent that a suitable bolt 7 may be fixed in one element as in the bar 3 and may pass through the bushing 9 which has been pressed into the element pivoted thereto, such as the sweeping element 4.

Preferably the bushing 9 extends outwardly beyond the surface of the member 4 adjoining member 8 inorder to engage a washer 10 and to comprise a spacer to hold the elements at a suitable distance apart in order to provide proper clearance for the same. Suitable Washers 12 may be located under the nuts 18. It is thus evident that a simple and inexpensive means is provided for pivoting the various elements of the sweeping device to each other, the bushing 9 in each case not only serving to prevent Wear of the swivel or pivot member but also serving as a spacer for the same.

Obviously the components of the invention may be considerably varied and, while I have shown the brushes 4 as the preferred form of ground-treating elements, it is obvious that the design of these members may be varied to suit different conditions. It is also to be understood that the number of support bars or the'number of individual sweeping elements uponeach support bar may bevaried as desired without departing 0 from the spirit of this invention, as long as a plurality of independently pivoted groundtreating elements are supported from a common framework or cross bar to which the draft means or tongue is secured.

Obviously this device is intended to be used in the manner common with the green sweepers previously known in the art, being drawn by a rope or any suitable flexible ele means for moving the elements along the ground, a cross piece connected to said means,and a plurality of members pivotally connected to said cross piece, each ofrsaid members carrying a plurality ofthe green sweeping elements pivotally'mounted there on.

2. A device of the class described comprising a plurality of green sweeping eleof green sweeping elements pivoted toeach support bar, and flexible means betweenthe 3. A device of the class described-comprising a plurality of substantially aligned green sweeping elements, a main cross bar, draft means connected to the cross bar, a plurality of support bars pivoted to the cross bar, a plurality of green sweeping elements pivoted to each support bar, and flexible means limiting the relative movement :01 said" elements, saididrzift 'ineans comprising a short tongue projecting :from the main cross bar at an angle to the plane Y of the green sweeping'elements;

, LA device of the classdescribed, comprising a plurality of green sweeping-e1ements, a main crossbar, draftmeans connected to the cross bar, and support bars pivoted to end portions of the main. cross bara'green sweeping element'being pivoted to each end of; each support bar.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 14th day of Februar '1927.

' our or A; SHAW" 

